Port eyes Bennett Environmental site for a modular construction operation

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1 The Vol.2 No.5 June 2010 Port eyes Bennett Environmental site for a modular construction operation A top official at the Port of Belledune says there could be hundreds of new jobs making modular industrial components in Belledune by as early as next spring. Tracy Eddy, the Port of Belledune s director of engineering and property management, says the port is just waiting for Transport Canada to give the thumbs up to a deal that would see the port buy the former Bennett building and land for an undisclosed amount. Mr. Eddy is expecting that deal to close by the end of the summer. Although Mr. Eddy cannot disclose the name of any prospective tenants for the former Bennett Environmental site until the deal closes, he has revealed a company which manufactures steel components is a serious, prospective The council chambers almost emptied at the May council meeting when opponents to a proposed sewage project walked out. Sewage project opponents walk out of council meeting Messenger The voice of the Village of Belledune Residents opposed to the $7.1-million wastewater management project for West Belledune walked out in disgust continued uninterrupted. In April, Mayor Nick Duivenvoorden had called on council to put forth a halfway through the Village of resolution at the May 17 meeting to Belledune s council meeting last month. After walking out of the council chamber, the roughly 35-strong group gathered noisily outside the exterior doors of the municipal building. Village clerk-treasurer Brenda Cormier got up to shut the doors to the council chambers. The council meeting then either go ahead with the controversial wastewater management project or abandon it once and for all. There is no point in wasting any more time chasing something we may not catch, he said then. On [May 17], members of council can decide just See CHIEF page 7 tenant for the site and could start operations by as early as next spring. There s a very similar business to this in the United States that does the same thing we re trying to do and they employ 600 people on the one site, said Mr. Eddy. During a tour of the Port of Belledune to members of the Greater Bathurst See PORT page 7 Skateboard park close to a reality Skateboarders came a bit closer to getting their own park in May when a charity agreed to provide funding. David Hughes, the Village of Belledune s chief administrative officer, says the municipality has already earmarked $25,000 for the skateboard park in this year s budget and the New Brunswick Children s Foundation has agreed to provide another $5,000. The project is expected to cost $75,000. An application has also already been made to the Regional Development Corporation for most of the remaining money needed to build the park, an additional $37,500, and the village is awaiting an answer. My gut tells me they re going to give us the $37,500, Mr. Hughes told council at the May 17 meeting. It means we can put up a pretty good skateboard park and do it this summer. Skateboarder Shane Noel, one of the teens who circulated a petition to get a skateboard park last year, is optimistic. I m hopeful, he said. It s really great that we ve got the funding. I d like to thank everybody in the community for their support.

2 2 June 2010 BELLEDUNE Belledune In Brief Belleduner wants Anglo rep on health authority Anglophones in northeastern New Brunswick need representation on the new regional health authority formed for this region, says Belledune resident Paul Shannon. In a letter presented to council, Mr. Shannon wrote that the recent changes to the health authorities in this province should send up red flags for Anglophones. Under those changes, the working language of Regional Health Authority A, which includes Belledune, is French even though it will offer services to patients in both official languages. Municipalities with a significant English-speaking population in our region must make a formal request to the New Brunswick government asking for reasonable representation on the board of directors of Regional Health Authority A, wrote Mr. Shannon. It would help if the representatives of the Anglophone community are bilingual since the language of the board will be French but the responsibility of these few individuals would be to promote health care generally and to represent the Anglophone population specifically. Students invited to join bioblitz Biodiversity experts from the New Brunswick Museum Centre for Biodiversity Research are going to be coming to the Jacquet River Gorge again this year. And they re looking for a few good students to join them. Students who have finished Grades 11 or 12 or who are in university are being invited to write a 100 to 150 word piece on Why the Jacquet River Gorge Protected Natural Area is important and submit an application to join the team this year from Aug or Aug The students who are chosen will get an honorarium of $375. The applications must be mailed or ed to: Bioblitz 2010, New Brunswick Museum Centre for Biodiversity Research, 277 Douglas Avenue, Saint John, N.B., E2K 1E5, CBR/CRB@nbm-mnb.ca or faxed to no later than June 4. A bioblitz is a special type of field study where a group of scientists conduct an intensive biological inventory, attempting to identify and record all species of living organisms in a given area. Mail for Melody blog gets a new home The blog of a seven-year-old Belledune girl who likes to receive lots of get-well cards has moved. Mail for Melody, the blog of little Melody Morais, is now at Letters with get-well wishes can also still be sent to her at: Mail for Melody, 57 Chaleur Drive, Belledune, N.B., E8G 1Z3. The little girl has been diagnosed with a rare autoimmune connective tissue disease. Volunteers pick up 250 bags of trash A dozen groups of volunteers people in all -turned out in mid-may for the Village of Belledune s annual roadside clean-up. By the end of the day, they had picked up about 250 garbage bags of trash from the sides of Main Street, Curry Drive, Hodgin Street East, Chaleur Drive, Roherty Road, Mitchell Road, Noel Road, Archibald Road and Jacquet River Drive. Village donated $1,650 in May The Village of Belledune council voted to donate $1,650 to groups in the community in May. Jacquet River School was given $500 for a class trip and $800 went to Belledune School for school trips. Restigouche Family Crisis Interveners got a donation of $50, the Bathurst High School Safe Grad 2010 will be getting $100, the Lorne Days Melody Morais named Student of the Month Grade 2 student Melody Morais was the student of the month of May at Belledune School. She was chosen as a student who has consistently shown respect, achievement and success. Festival $50 and the Fondation Soeur Jeannette Leclerc Inc. is getting $100. The VON Caring for Life Walk will get a $50 donation. Village s website gets a facelift The Village of Belledune s new website was unveiled in May. The website, at was created by Websolutions, a Bathurst-based company, and carries the new branding for the municipality created by the Glenn Group. As of 3 p.m. this afternoon, we have launched our new website, said Andy Flanagan, the village s community development officer, on May 17. Council Meeting Schedule June 21 7 p.m. July 19 7 p.m.

3 2010 Belledune Days Schedule July 24 - August 1 Healthy Choices Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this schedule but this cannot be guaranteed due to the possibility of last-minute additions or deletions. Please contact festival organizers to verify any information about events. Welcome to all visitors, tourists, family members and friends! Join us as we celebrate our community, by hosting our annual Belledune Days Festival. Enjoy our local hospitality as we foster old and new friendships. With so much emphasis on keeping healthy, our theme this year is Healthy Choices. We hope that you will participate as much as possible in the events that have been prepared for everyone to enjoy. Thank you to all the volunteers and a very special thank you to ALL our SPONSORS who without a doubt help make our festival an annual success. Should the weather not cooperate for activity day, Saturday, Aug. 1, the events for that day only will be held inside the Veterans Memorial Arena. The rain date for the fireworks is Monday, Aug. 2. Have a great week of fun and festivity! Pasty Talbot Festival Chairperson PLEASE NOTE: The 2010 Belledune Days Schedule is brought to you courtesy of The Belledune Messenger and ACI Media Group. To confirm any event or to check for any last-minute changes, please contact Patsy Talbot, festival chairperson, at Saturday, July 24 Mass and Bake sale 4 p.m. St. John Evangelist Church Mass Bake Sale: St. John Evangelist C.W.L. Sunday, July 25 Brunch 9 a.m. - Noon & Cultural Centre Price: Adults $6 Children (under 12) $3 Menu: Pan fries, bacon or sausages, eggs, toast, jam, tea, coffee, juice, fruit Proceeds of this event will go to the Belledune Regional Environmental Association. The Opening Weekend Start off Belledune Days with great activities! Official Opening Ceremonies Starting at 1 p.m. Jacquet River Firehall Gazebo Grounds Concession stand Music: High Lead Games on grounds Face painting Announcement of Senior and Youth of the Year Awards Bingo 6 p.m. & Cultural Center Groceries and prizes Canteen services Proceeds to St John the Evangelist C.W.L. Win a free copy of THE BEGINNING RUNNER S HANDBOOK The Belledune Messenger wants to help you step into summer! We re giving away a FREE copy of the Sport Medicine Council s famous walk-run program. Just send an to acimediagroup@nb.aibn.com and tell us about your fitness goal or success story. The first in that qualifies will win this FREE book. The winning will be published in The Belledune Messenger.

4 Great Weekday Festival Events Here are great weekday events for Belledune Days! Monday, July 26 Ladies Night (19+ Ladies Only) 6 p.m. and Cultural Center Tickets: TBA Supper and Dance - featured band: Colette & Denise Fantastic prizes throughout the evening Cash bar proceeds to Ladies Auxiliary Legion Branch No. 77 Advance tickets go on sale at the Jacquet River Legion Branch No. 77 on July 3 at noon. Cost: $25 per person, limit of five tickets each. Tuesday, July 27 Children s Dances Ages 1-6: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Ages 7-12: 7:30-9 p.m. and Cultural Center Admission: $3/ person Music by D.J. Joe Lanteigne Prizes will be given out Canteen services available Proceeds to go towards Kids Dance Fund Card Party 7 p.m. St. John the Evangelist Church Hall Admission: $2.50/ person All ages Prizes awarded Light lunch served Come out and have some fun! Wednesday, July 28 Karaoke & Nacho Night 8:30 p.m. - Midnight and Cultural Center Ages: 19+ Admission: $5 Prizes/Cash Bar Nachos sold separately Proceeds to Belledune Days Festival Fund Thursday, July 29 Seniors Night and Dinner/Dance 5:30 - midnight Doors open at 5 p.m. and Cultural Center Ages: 60+ Music: Barry Mazerolle Admission: $7/person (Tickets must be purchased in advance from the municipal office; only 200 tickets available.) Cold plate with BBQ chicken by: Rose- Marie Smearer Cash Bar Prizes donated by Guardian Restigouche Pharmacy Advance tickets for this event will be sold at the municipal office. Friday, July 30 13th Annual Mackeral Derby 6-9 p.m. Roherty Point Register at site: $2/person (all ages) Catch the largest, win big! Catch the smallest, win less! From the shore Bring your rod. Music: TBA Canteen service - Prizes and lots of fun! Teen Dance & Cultural Centre Ages p.m. - midnight Admission: $5 Music: TBA No backpacks, once you leave, you cannot re-enter! Canteen Services and Prizes Proceeds to: TBA Village of Belledune St. John Evangelist Church St. Gabriel s Parish Hall FireHall/ Gazebo Cultural Center Veteran s Memorial Center Jacquet River Salmon Barrier Roherty Point Visitor Guide New to Belledune? Unsure of where the events will be held? Use this map to find your way to fun during the 2009 Belledune Days Festival. Nash Creek Durham Centre 11 Jacquet River 11 Culligan Softball tournament Lower ballfield behind rec centre Contact: Piere O Brien at Main St. Turgeon Road 11 Belledune Lower BelleDune Pointe-Verte 11

5 The Closing Weekend Enjoy the fun on Belledune Days closing Saturday! Saturday, July 31 Brunch 9 a.m. - Noon and Cultural Centre Admission: Adults $6 Children (under12): $3 Baked Beans, bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, toast, jam, coffee, tea and juice. Catered by Legion Branch No. 77 Horseshoe Tournament 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Belledune Field Behind Recreation Centre Register at Site: 10-10:45 a.m. Game Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission: $5/person Prizes to be awarded Softball Tournament (cont d.) Lower ballfield behind rec centre Contact: Piere O Brien at Fire Fighters Display 12:30 p.m. and Cultural Centre Everyone is welcome. Please attend giveaways. Horse Haul 1 p.m. Behind Rec Centre on Recreation Grounds Teams register at site Prizes to winning teams Pet Show/Contest Register: 1-1:15 p.m. Behind Veterans Memorial Arena Registration: $2 each All contestants get a prize! Bring collar and leash Refreshments for pets will be available Facepainting Pony Rides 1-3 p.m. Grounds Talent Show 2 p.m. Grounds Come sing, dance or play an instrument Prizes! United Church Open House 2-4 p.m. Church museum - Across from Foodland Deal or no Deal 3 p.m. Centre Grounds For all ages Tickets: 1/$2 or 3/$5 (For a chance to win a case) Proceeds go to Belledune Days Fund Hula Hoop Contest 2 p.m. Centre Grounds Kid of all ages Prizes! Games & Races After Hula Hoop Contest Centre Grounds Kid of all ages Prizes! Inflatable Games - Bungee Grab & Go, Rapid Fire and Pirates 3 in 1 combo 1-4 p.m. Displays Art Sale/Display by Allan Roy Concession Stands Craft Tables/Flea Market Sales Bring your wares to sell, new and old Musical Entertainment Adult Dance p.m. - 1 a.m. Veterans Memorial Arena Admission: $8/person Featured Bands: Toxic (Opening Band) Angry Candy Cash Bar Proceeds to Ladies Auxiliary Legion Branch No. 77

6 The Closing Weekend A great breakfast & a big fireworks display! Sunday, August 2 Brunch 9 a.m.- Noon and Cultural Centre Admission: Adults $6 Children (under 12): $3 Pan fries, bacon or sausages, scrambled eggs, toast, jam, coffee, tea and juice. Catered by the Relay for Life Committee. Festival Finale 6:30-10 p.m. Belledune Field Behind Recreation Centre Concessions Music: Jared & Marie Fireworks By FX Fireworks (Halifax) Make sure. It s Rexall. Have a happy and healthy Belledune Days! Guardian Restigouche Pharmacy (2002) Inc. 53 MACK ST., BELLEDUNE, N.B. (506) Remember these Rain dates! In the event of rain on Saturday, Aug. 1, all events for that day of the Belledune Days Festival will be held inside the Veteran s Memorial Arena. The rain date for the fireworks display is Monday, Aug. 2. Birthday Corner All Birthday Corner greetings should include the first and last names of the well-wisher and the person having the birthday, the type of relationship between them (mother, father, husband, wife, friend, etc.), and the age of the birthday boy or girl (or man or woman). your FREE birthday wishes to: acimediagroup@nb.aibn.com. James Risdon wishes a happy birthday to Nobel Prize winner Bert Sakmann who turns 68 on June 2. Keep up the good work, Bert! Messenger Classifieds There were no FREE classifieds submitted to the Belledune Messenger this month. These FREE ads must be received by the 15th of each month.

7 BELLEDUNE June Continued from page 1 Continued from page 1 Chief administrative officer warns council of possible costs of inaction what kind of heroes they want to be. On May 17, though, there was no motion regarding the wastewater management system on the agenda. Councillor Mario Lapointe did try to put forth a last-minute motion at the very start of the meeting but it failed to get the unanimous support it needed. Deputy Mayor Emmie Flanagan voted against putting the proposed motion on the agenda for that meeting at the last minute, saying she had not had a chance to read it. Councillor Paul Daley said any motion which would try to cancel the wastewater management project would be little more than posturing as the project could always be revived by a council in the future. But he indicated he is leaning towards putting the current project on hold and taking time to examine other options. In his report to council, though, Chief Administrative Officer David Hughes warned council the planned baseline well water and watercourse data testing could force the hand of either the health or environment departments. If it comes back that everything is fine, then that s one thing. But if it comes back that all your ditches and half of your wells are contaminated, then you have an entirely different decision to make, said Mr. Hughes. According to the chief administrative officer, the province could in the absence of a plan to install a wastewater management system require that all homeowners with contaminated wells or inadequate septic systems install primary treatment equipment on their properties. That could result in expensive upgrades to septic systems for homeowners who may be ill-equipped to pay for such expensive systems, he warned. Belledune Community Resources Port negotiating to buy 1,400 acres Chamber of Commerce on May 6, Mr. Eddy said the port is also negotiating a deal to buy roughly 1,400 acres of land adjacent to the existing industrial park. We re in the process of trying to acquire that land right now for future cargo and expansion, he said. We re very close. I would hope that by the end of the summer we would have [this deal] completed. Throughout the world, ports are often faced with the challenge of not enough land to store all of the cargo that comes in and goes out on freighters. In several cases, ports are forced to acquire property inland and transport goods simply to store them temporarily. The Port of Belledune is hoping to avoid this situation by buying land now. Every port in the world is faced with this challenge, said Mr. Eddy. We re one of the few that have the opportunity to plan ahead and chart our growth. The Belledune Messenger is pleased to provide the following list of important commmunity resources. Should there be others you would like to see added, please acimediagroup@nb.aibn.com Belledune District Planning Commission Belledune Public Library Emergency 911 Environment New Brunswick Emergencies , afterhours MLA Roland Haché - Nigadoo Chaleur Riding , during business hours MP Tilly O Neill-Gordon - Miramichi Riding NB Power - Outages - Streetlights RCMP 911 For emergencies Non-emergency Blue Bin Recycling Program , ask for Sarah Restigouche County - SPCA - Animal Control emergency Roman Catholic churches - St. Gabriel The Archangel & St. John the Evangelist Royal Canadian Legion Durham - Jacquet River Village of Belledune Municipal Office Chief Administrative Officer - David Hughes Community Development Officer - Andy Flanagan Administrative Assistant - Nicole Carrier

8 8 June 2010 BELLEDUNE James Messenger Fish stories and web marketing join forces A few days ago, a friend sent me one of those s people love to forward. You know the kind: stories of pets doing cute things; dumb jokes; and the ever-popular fishing and hunting tales. This was about fishing. In it, there were about eight men holding up a giant sturgeon weighing a purported 1,000 lbs. Now, I don t know whether or not this fish actually exists. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn t. These days, often seems like any 11-year-old kid can Photoshop an amazing fake. But this column isn t really about that fish. It s about the text that came with the photograph. According to the , this leviathan of the deep was caught in Lake of the Woods in Ontario. And that got me to thinking. In the back of my mind where my most bizarre, cynical thoughts dwell, I immediately thought to myself: This is fantastic publicity for the Lake of the Woods! I wonder if they made this story up to boost tourism? In terms of marketing, what could be better and faster in this day and age than the internet equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising? Now, if someone were to suddenly discover a massive fish in Chaleur Bay or a strange new species or a chess-playing albino moose in Jacquet River and send out a photograph and little story about it through the internet, our region could suddenly become the next internet sensation. It makes you wonder. Darien Driscoll wins poster contest A Grade 6 student at Jacquet River School is the winner of a province-wide poster contest to promote immunization programs. Darien Driscoll, the daughter of Greg Driscoll and Joanne Legacy, took both first place in this district and the New Brunswick top spot on the contest organized by public health officials for National Immunization Awareness Week which ran from April 25 through to May 1. is published by ACI Media Group Inc. and is distributed free-of-charge, thanks to our sponsors and advertisers. Any reproduction of The Belledune Messenger, in whole or in part using any means without prior written authorization, is strictly prohibited. Publisher: James Risdon Town Hall: bell001@nbnet.nb.ca Clerk/Treasurer: Brenda Cormier Fax: Arena ice rentals: Smith Street Bathurst, New Brunswick E2A 3V2 (506) acimediagroup@nb.aibn.com Village of Belledune Mayor: Nick Duivenvoorden Deputy Mayor: Emmie Flanagan Councillors: Elaine Levesque-Godin, Paul Daley, Jerry Guitard, Mario Lapointe Chief Administrative Officer David Hughes davidhughes@nb.aibn.com CDO Andy Flanagan belledunedevelopment@nb.aibn.com